French Envoy: Boycott Hurts Americans

A French diplomat stationed in South Florida told Palm Beach County commissioners they were wrong to urge people to avoid buying or consuming products from his country.

He said the commission's decision would end up hurting Americans whose livelihoods depend on the sale of French products.

"I deeply regret this decision," Christophe Bouchard, French consul general in Miami, said in a letter commissioners received Wednesday. "That is going to hurt not only French residents living in Palm Beach County, but also their American employees and, quite often, shareholders."

Last week, a majority of Commissioner Burt Aaronson's colleagues went along with his boycott call. He said France had not done enough to convince Iraq to give up weapons of mass destruction and to cooperate with United Nations inspectors.

Aaronson has been so intent on publicizing his unhappiness with France that he at one point suggested renaming french fries.

Bouchard wrote that the foreign policy difference should not damage Franco-U.S. relations: "France is proud to consider itself the oldest ally and friend of the United States, from the days of your independence. You should accept that allies and friends can disagree on some issues, without stopping being friends. A lot of American citizens disagree, in the same way, with the position of their government."

Aaronson said he was unmoved by the letter. Although he doesn't want people to stop eating in local French restaurants, he does think they should refrain from buying French wine and perfume.

"At this time we have one-quarter of a million men and women in harm's way," he said.

"I am more concerned about their safety and the safety of the residents of Palm Beach County against the threat of terrorists than I am about the economic harm to France."

The consul general offered to meet with commissioners, something Aaronson said he was willing to do -- after war with Iraq is over and American military men and women are safely back home.